SparkFun announces this year's Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC)

The ultimate competition for makers, tinkerers, robot enthusiasts, otherwise known as the Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC), is scheduled for June 8, 2013.

I just heard from my friends at SparkFun (www.SparkFun.com) that the ultimate competition for makers, tinkerers, robot enthusiasts, otherwise known as the Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC), is scheduled for June 8, and they have opened registration and announced the location and rules for this fifth annual event.

Each year, the AVC grows in popularity, and with a greater number of participants and spectators, SparkFun is moving the competition to the Boulder Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado. This year’s competition will include separate courses for aerial and ground vehicles, different registration classes for the variety of vehicles entered, and new marked course checkpoints.

The AVC will be a day-long event, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and SparkFun is inviting spectators to come enjoy the race, food and cheer on their robot of choice for free.

The "official" message with the full AVC Details and course preview from SparkFun is as follows:

Wow, what a difference a few years make. When we first started the SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition (or AVC) back in 2009, it took place in our parking lot and a few dozen people showed up. It was an awesome day, but was definitely a low-key affair. Fast forward to today, and we are in the midst of planning what will undoubtedly be the biggest, best AVC yet. So big, in fact, we had to move it from SparkFun headquarters to a new location – the Boulder Reservoir on the outskirts of sunny Boulder, Colo.

Today we are excited to announce that registration is now open and there are a BUNCH of new rules, regulations, and classes. We think these new rules will make for the most competitive and exciting AVC to date. The scoring system is even different! We’ve created an AVC page for all things related to the competition, so head over there to check out what the deal is and to register as a competitor or spectator!

Here are the new classes:

Student Class – Any robot that is 80% designed and built by students (high school or younger)

Micro/PBR – Less than $350 total spent, or small enough to fit into box that’s 10"x6"x4"

Doping Class – Bring the biggest, baddest and most expensive vehicle you can make ($1k+ or 25lbs+)

Non-Traditional Locomotion – Have a walker? A modified autonomous self-balancing pogostick, motorized hamster ball? This designation is for you.

Peloton – All remaining vehicles that don’t fit into any other class

We’ve learned a lot from previous years and have decided to make the course easier to navigate. For ground, we’ve repainted all the barriers, obstacles, and checkpoints to be different primary colors. And if you head over to the AVC site we’ve got the full dimensions and even paint colors we used. Additionally, we have a full dimensional drawing of the course in addition to GPS waypoints and tracks.

The scoring is also completely different this year and isn’t based on the single best time. The new scoring is based on a point system. Be sure to read the full rules before signing up – we don’t want you to encounter any surprises at the last minute.

We’ve also drawn up some course maps to give you a better idea of what you’re up against. Also be sure to check out the GPS information available on the AVC site.

The event is going to take place from 8:30 a.m. (8 a.m. for competitors) to 5 p.m. (or whenever we finish!) on June 8th, 2013 at the Boulder Reservoir.

If you’ve read everything on the site and still have a question, you can email us at avc@sparkfun.com.

Sign up your team today – we hope to see you there!

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I can see how this competition would have grown. I would love to be able to compete but given the distance between where I am and the competition I will have to pass. Perhaps in the future there could be other competition sites? Just a thought...